A recent member
survey by the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE) examines the adoption of health information technology (HIT) from 2004 to 2009. Overall, the survey finds that adoption of HIT (such as electronic medical records (EMRs), e-prescribing, PDAs, and computerized physician order entry) has increased over the past five years. In fact, over 64% of respondents reported using EMRs in 2009, up from 33% in 2004. On the other hand, physician satisfaction with HIT has not risen along with adoption rates.
Among chief complaints from respondents regarding the adoption of EMRs, health care workers cite prohibitive costs; lack of interoperability; lack of involvement of physicians in product development; and inadequate project management, IT, and clinical workflow expertise within a practice. AI believes that recent changes in the industry’s landscape, including the broad policy and funding agenda set forth in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the federal stimulus bill, will provide powerful means for addressing many of physicians’ chief complaints.
For example, the ARRA provides funding for states to establish loan programs that will help relieve the often prohibitive upfront costs of adopting EMRs. Furthermore, grant funding is available to states to promote the exchange of electronic health information, thus contributing to interoperability throughout the healthcare industry. Respondents’ complaints of inadequate in-house skills for maintaining HIT infrastructure and workflows may also be partly addressed through stimulus provisions. Appropriations in the bill support new centers known as Health Information Technology Regional Extension Centers, which will disseminate best practices, promote HIT integration, and offer technical and implementation assistance. The bill also sets aside funding for the specialized training required to create a new, larger workforce of HIT specialists.
While creating a truly electronic and integrated national healthcare system will be a long and challenging process, AI believes the ARRA is a step forward in helping to address some of the current dissatisfaction with HIT. One has reason to hope that, in another five years, the next ACPE survey will find a markedly higher level of satisfaction among physicians.